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Angry reaction to UK police shooting inquest

Barbara MillerUpdated
Thu 9 Jan 2014, 8:54 AM AEDT

There have been angry outbursts in London following the finding at an inquest that the killing of Mark Duggan by a police officer was lawful, despite the fact that he was deemed to be unarmed at the time. Mark Duggan's death sparked five days of violent rioting across London and England in August 2011.

Transcript

TONY EASTLEY: There have been angry and emotional scenes outside a London court after a finding was handed down in the inquest into the fatal police shooting in 2011 which triggered riots in the city and across England.

A jury has found that Mark Duggan was not carrying a gun at the time he was shot dead, but his killing was lawful.

His family says there will be no peace until justice is delivered.

Europe correspondent Barbara Miller reports.

(Sound of protesters)

BARBARA MILLER: When the Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner finally emerged from court to give a statement on the finding in the Mark Duggan case, he could hardly make himself heard.

Protesters shouted and heckled Mark Rowley, one man having to be wrestled away.

MARK ROWLEY (over the sound of protesters): But the task our officers face in making split-second decisions when confronting armed criminals means there is a risk ...

BARBARA MILLER: The assistant commissioner expressed his sympathies with the Duggan family, but said police officers had to make split second decisions.

He stressed that the jury had concluded that the unidentified officer who fired the fatal shots had an honest and reasonable belief that Mark Duggan was carrying a gun.

Mark Duggan, a 29 year old father of six, was shot dead on the 4th of August 2011 after the taxi he was travelling in was stopped by a specialist unit who believed Duggan, a known gang member, had just picked up a gun.

A weapon was later found six metres away from the scene of the shooting and the jury appears to have accepted that Mark Duggan threw it from the taxi as he realised he was about to be stopped.

There were angry and emotional scenes in court as the finding was read out that the jury still found by a majority of eight to two that the killing was lawful.

Marcia Willis Stewart is a lawyer for the family.

MARCIA WILLIS STEWART: As you can see, the family are in a state of shock. They can't believe that this has been the outcome. No gun in his hand and yet he was shot, murdered, as I've said.

SHAUN HALL: We're not going to hide, we don't feel we got anything to hide for. People who do need to hide, they know who they are. We've got nothing to hide. We've done nothing wrong. We still fight for justice, we still want justice.

(Sound of protesters)

BARBARA MILLER: Mark Duggan's killing became the trigger for the riots that saw mass destruction and looting across London and major cities in England in August 2011.

(Sound of rioters)

The disturbances began in Tottenham. Police are out in force in the north London suburb following the finding. They didn't foresee the riots of 2011 and they are not taking any chances now.